The focus of 2016 has been weight loss, for the pure sake of reducing the load on my knees. Normally this is a healthy weight for me, but seeing as I have a new knee now, minimizing the impact of the joint by any means is critical.
Hiking, biking, weights and gym have all been helpful, but have not provided that extra push to propel any weight reduction. Claire suggested jogging. I told her that jogging and running were forbidden words in the knee replacement family. Although technically, there's no solid scientific evidence correlating running/jogging with premature knee failure. Hell, my biggest challenge to date has been developing muscle, so it would make sense to try jogging for that perspective alone.
My focus has been on the 3 "S's":
Stride: re-evaluating my entire mechanics, looking for a smoother, more gliding stride. Watching a lot of YouTube videos on optimal form, especially the "100-up" technique.
Surface: sticking to soft, plush trails; no concrete or asphalt.
Shoes: Upgraded to a comfortable pair of running shoes with lots of cushion.
The first few runs were a little painful, which is to be expected seeing that I haven't ran in over a year. My hope is that a few more runs will discern the difference between running pain and knee pain, and at that point I'll decide whether I want to continue with this new form of exercise or not.
Hiking, biking, weights and gym have all been helpful, but have not provided that extra push to propel any weight reduction. Claire suggested jogging. I told her that jogging and running were forbidden words in the knee replacement family. Although technically, there's no solid scientific evidence correlating running/jogging with premature knee failure. Hell, my biggest challenge to date has been developing muscle, so it would make sense to try jogging for that perspective alone.
My focus has been on the 3 "S's":
Stride: re-evaluating my entire mechanics, looking for a smoother, more gliding stride. Watching a lot of YouTube videos on optimal form, especially the "100-up" technique.
Surface: sticking to soft, plush trails; no concrete or asphalt.
Shoes: Upgraded to a comfortable pair of running shoes with lots of cushion.
The first few runs were a little painful, which is to be expected seeing that I haven't ran in over a year. My hope is that a few more runs will discern the difference between running pain and knee pain, and at that point I'll decide whether I want to continue with this new form of exercise or not.